1. Field of the Invention
Efforts for finding green energy have increased for many contemporary reasons. To this end, offshore energy has been explored and has become very developed, yet, inshore wave energy has not been a topic of much exploration. Inshore waves are energetic and offer more kinetic energy than offshore energy. The energetic inshore waves also offer more challenges and efforts on the part of inventors and developers, such as access to the shore and inshore environment, conservation concerns, pollution, fouling, and spoliation of the equipment, as well as the shore and inshore environment, and creating articles that can withstand a hostile and changing environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Historic attempts, as well as the best current attempts, have focused on various mechanical ways of converting wave energy to bring water ashore and into a holding tank where it can be converted into energy with turbines. The Surf Power from Canada and the Wave Roller design from Finland both bring water ashore for processing using this idea with standard equipment. These two examples have mechanisms that involve a piston on leveraged structural elements, as in the Surf Power, or very large plates, as in the Wave Roller, that push a piston that converts the wave energy mechanically to force sea-water to the shore.
These systems seem to work but a major and expensive disadvantage and problem is that they are prone to failure and high maintenance because of the moving mechanical parts in the hostile and ever changing environment of the ocean. In addition to the problems with both of these and other devices caused by the mechanical aspects of the devices being under salt water, there are problems caused by sand and fouling agents which are very typical in any inshore environment. In addition, the resulting requirement of constant maintenance and repair is a significant problem. Another problem is that such devices are highly prone to breakage during epic wave events. Additionally, from an ecological and conservation point of view, a major problem with these devices is that they are very intrusive, unsightly, and interfere with sea life. Persons owning expensive ocean property, as well as persons enjoying the beach and shore, have often opposed the disruption of the ocean view and of sea life by man-made devices. The sound generated by the pistons of the prior art travel quite far under water. This has a negative effect on divers in the area, who also object to the unsightliness of such devices, and also on ocean life, because such prior art dissuades creatures from their ancient and natural habits, and also disrupts, annoys and harms such creatures with the mechanical noise and physical presence of the equipment.
These are some of the issues that developers take into consideration when considering inshore energy development. The nature and expense of these issues result in severely limiting the potential for these devices to be located anywhere inshore, offshore, or underwater, and the man hours and costs to keep, maintain, and replace the equipment adds to the cost to produce the electricity, as well as increasing the expense for the original equipment.
Contemporary energy harvesting devices for inshore environments should be durable, inexpensive, non-polluting, silent, non-intrusive, and also environmentally friendly. Moreover, it should be silent so as not to interfere with the above water and underwater environments. It should have as few moving parts as possible. The requirement that it be durable means it should be made of a material which is slow to degrade and when it does degrade, the material will not negatively impact the environment. It further should have minimal impact on the local underwater environment and preferably mimic local sea life.
Based on the foregoing, it is believed that none of the aforementioned prior art describe a wave energy collector which meets all of the stated requirements and resolves all of the above stated problems and disadvantages. Therefore, there appears to still be a need for a wave energy collector which meets all of the indicated objectives and resolves all of the indicated problems and disadvantages in a commercially viable product which can be readily manufactured, marketed, implemented, maintained and monitored at a reasonable price.